Missionvale Update, Addo and Schotia Safari, and Secondary School Volunteering

It's been some time since the last post, and I'm regretting it now. There is plenty to write about what has happened in the last few weeks!

Missionvale

Well, we've been here a month now, and we've volunteered at Missionvale eight different mornings now. As I had said previously, I was scheduled to work in the Garden with Pat and Britt, but each week we volunteer somewhere new just to get a feel for how the Missionvale Care Center (MCC) operates.

Nutrition & Wellness Unit with a fresh delivery
of bread inside.

          For our second week at Missionvale Britt, Pat and I (our usual crew) were transferred to the Nutrition Center. Every single morning when we arrive at Missionvale, there is a line of several hundred people that forms outside on the benches that fill the courtyard of the Care Center. This occurs well before 8:00am when we arrive. People place their bags in a line in front of the window, where the order in line is determined by: the sickest (usually with HIV/AIDS), the handicapped, the mothers (especially the sick or single mothers), then the eldest. These people are all waiting for their daily ration of food from the Nutrition Center, which provides a half loaf of bread and a cup of dried nutrient rich soup powder. Many of these people are dependent on this source of food to survive, but the goal of the Care Center is not to just (in terms of community development theory) "relieve" the poverty, but to "release" the citizens from it. In our service learning course we are learning the difference between the two. Relief is the temporary solution, and release is the long term solution. For example, food handouts would be 'relief,' while education, employment and self-reliance would be 'release' from poverty. To empower and give responsibility to the people of Missionvale who take advantage of the food handouts, the Nutrition Center requires that each recipient present with their wooden card that has been issued to them during a prior visit, or a piece of recycling each day to receive food.

          While the food hand outs are happening, we sit in the back packing food bags that are given weekly to families of the township, especially the sick and those incapable of helping themselves. Each bag is an empty bread bag that is packed with the following:

1 packet of maize meal

1 can of sardines

1 can of baked beans

1 packet of sugar

2 bars of soap

2 teabags

 We became pretty efficient in packing these bags, and soon filled the shelves and carts with over 400 of these bags. The number sounds great (and is great), but we were somewhat disheartened knowing that in the next few days these bags would be completely gone. We started to talk about more sustainable projects for the community that would help release these people from poverty. Our service learning class that meets monthly is dedicated to the understanding and pursuit of sustainable ideas specific to each volunteer site. However, towards the end of our time in the kitchen, we realized there was a need in the kitchen to fill these bags, and relief efforts must be combined with efforts to release them from poverty. We took comfort in the thought. Last week we spent our days in the warehouse packing clothing bags full of two pairs of every form of clothing, including at least two pairs of Tom's Shoes for every single recipient in each family.

       This week, our entire group had the opportunity to partake in the home visits with the care takers. Because of our large group, one of the RNs (Sister Meriel) requested that some of us stay back and help in the clinic. I volunteered to hang back with Mags and Pat. I was more than happy with my choice. I was intimidated at times handling blood that I knew for a fact was HIV positive, even with gloves on. In addition to helping Sister Meriel with some basic procedures in the clinic, I was able to shadow Dr. Strömbeck. Dr. Strömbeck is a primary care physician who has been with the Missionvale Care Center Clinic for some time now, since he closed his private practice. He has decided to give back to the Missionvale community, which I admire greatly. He was excited about having Mags and I in the patient room with him. When Mags told him I was an EMT back at home, he became excited and spent some time telling me about after some of his EMS related schooling in Los Angeles, he helped establish the very first paramedic school in all of South Africa.
          About midday, we saw about a 30 year old woman with some very severe issues. She came to the clinic to get a check up and renewal for her chronic medications, have the doctor sign her grant form for government aid, and check out some abdominal pain. After the assessment, he summed up her case with a list: Tuberculosis, HIV positive, asthma, infection of the abdomen, vaginal infection, urinary tract infection and an abnormal abscess/growth on her scalp due to the HIV and TB. The woman could barely breathe enough for a listen to her lungs and had the doctor drain her scalp. Throughout the day we saw close to 30 some patients, some of whom were pretty similar to this woman. When we told Dr. Strömbeck that our time was up for today, he apologized to us. He said: "I'm sorry you two, I thought today you might see some sick patients. Usually these people are getting carried in by their families and loved ones. Maybe next time?" I was shocked and wrote down what he said in my journal so I would remember it.  I had seen some of the most chronically sick people I may ever see in my life. One of my journal entries was dedicated to my new perception of "sick." The problems that average people suffer from in South Africa do not even match up remotely with what the average patient in the United States deals with.

Walking back with the caretakers from the home visit.

          Today at Missionvale I joined the rest of the crew and caretakers for a home visit. I didn't know what we were getting ourselves into when Dummer, Andrew and I had to carry a whole roll of carpeting through the township. We arrived at a small shack, that was very run down with a woman waiting outside. The shack was no more than 20 feet long and 15 feet wide, with an attached "kitchen." The kitchen was a roofed add on that was about five feet by five feet with a pile of ash in the middle, a broken shovel, and two bricks. We cleared out the entire shack of all furniture and most of her belongings. We began to clean. The guys began to lay and cut the carpeting to lay onto the dirt and moldy carpeting that was barely recognizable anymore. The holes in her tin roof don't do much to keep out the rain. The girls were outside washing dishes and wiping down furniture. We ended up laying the carpet down by digging through old bent nails and hammering them through some old metal bottle caps which functioned as washers to hold the carpet in place. Our hammer for the job was the handle portion of the broken shovel. People make due with what they have in the township. Tools are rare there. With the donations that included table cloths, the carpeting, new bedding, and dishware-- we transformed her home. She was very grateful. Sister Meriel specifically chooses those who she finds to be struggling in their walk through life. She says that these people just need something to keep them going instead of falling into a depressed cycle. This woman was single, and has had a lot of trouble keeping up her home.

Worship before food hand-outs.

          The last few days of volunteering our bus driver has been pretty late picking us up. This has turned out to be a blessing. As we sat and waited for our bus to come pick us up, we listened to the people who have been waiting in line all day for food. They sang, danced, and worshiped giving thanks to God for all of the blessings they have. It was in Xhosa (their native click language), and so we couldn't understand the words. Xhosa is a beautiful language, especially in song. I have never heard such genuine singing and worship, it was very moving. We were all very quiet for the duration of this singing. After the bread and soup hand outs, a sickly man approached me with his newly acquired food in hand and with a mouthful of the bread he mumbled "Thank you! Thank you for helping us. Thank you for coming here to help us. It is so nice to have food in my stomach. Thank you so much." I didn't know what to say to him but I managed to say "You're more than welcome, I'm looking forward to seeing you next Monday. See you then?" I didn't know how else to respond. He held my hand and kissed it several times and with a smile full of bread, he thanked me one more time and limped away through the gate and into the township. I'll never forget it. I have learned that the people in Missionvale are very grateful for the Care Center and Sister Ethel, and have very positive outlooks despite the severe poverty in which they live.

Cricket
          A couple weeks ago, a large portion of the group went to a Cricket game between two teams from the Eastern Cape province. The atmosphere reminded me very much like a Twins baseball game. Everyone sat around trying to figure out the game for themselves or learned about the game by talking to the fans that surrounded us. It ended up being a really fun night under the lights. I'd like to go again soon.

Secondary School Volunteering

        Our literature professor gave us an option of volunteering with her on Thursdays at a local secondary school in the New Brighton Township.  I opted to volunteer with some of the other students from our marine biology class since those in the political science course have class during this time. Our first day at the school was learning about how the school functions, its history, and the changes it has undergone in the last three years. We usually ride into the township with Mary West (our literature professor), who has worked in conjunction with a 30 year old man named Jim at the school. When I met him, I noticed he didn't have the typical South African accent.
       Jim's from  just outside of Philadelphia, and graduated with a business/economics degree in the US and aspired to work on Wall Street. I never got the full story of how he arrived here in Port Elizabeth, but I learned a lot about him. Jim is an amazing guy. Jim lives in the township nearby the school, and works from sun up to sundown seven days a week helping the students, teaching, and managing the school. What is even more incredible, is that he does all of this on only R500 ( South African Rand) a month, which is approximately $66. In the beginning of his time at the school, he focused only on the academics, since there only a 15% graduation rate from the school, and 100% failure in the students' accounting classes. He says the latter is because if the accounting teacher even shows up, more often than not sobriety in the classroom is the issue. It was shocking for us to hear, but he said it incredibly nonchalant.
         In the last few years he has installed electricity, plumbing, and ceilings into the classrooms. The classroom in which he was telling us this, had a broken ceiling. An orphaned student who lives in a tin roofed shack by himself had found his way into the kitchen to steal food, and broke the ceiling when running above the rafters to get away. Jim said it was very difficult to be upset with him. I don't think anyone could be.

Showing my team what a football looks like, how to play, and
talking pre-game strategy. (Jim is walking on the right)

       We went again to volunteer this last Thursday, and got to know a group of kids while helping them with their homework. We'll be working with the same students for the rest of the semester with the goal of building self confidence, social skills, and stimulation with things other than academics. The kids requested that I host an "American Football Day." Which I did this last week. It went great. I haven't had so much fun interacting with the local kids. We taught them four positions: quarterback, running back, receiver, and lineman. They got the general idea and rules, and after teaching them how to throw, we played a game. Jim coached a team, and I coached the other. Soon enough, the kids were improvising, running options and throwing deep hail marys. I told them they need to teach me rugby. The kids got really excited at the idea of teaching me. Things like this have been Jim's goal for us volunteering, since he realized that only after social competency and self confidence will academics begin to improve. He invited us over for a braii (South African equivalent of a barbeque) in the township sometime in the near future. We're looking forward to it. On the drive back, one of the professors who works with Mary drove Margaret and I back. She had trouble finding the school earlier, and she apologized to us. The only reason she didn't know her way around the area was because during Apartheid, it was illegal for her to drive on the roads into the colored and black township we are volunteering in.

Addo Elephant National Park and Schotia Private Game Reserve Safari
         We went on a safari several weekends ago at Addo Elephant National Park, and Schotia Private Game Reserve. At Addo, we drove our big bus slowly through the roads paved through the bush and saw hundreds of African elephants. It is difficult to adequately describe how big they are and the presence they have when lumbering around next to the bus. We took plenty of pictures, and here are a few (the rest are on Facebook):

Addo Elephant National Park

An African elephant approaching the bus.

 

Elephants cooling off in the watering hole.

        Elephants may appear to be different colors at once or completely different colors overall like the one here in the foreground. The one shown here has been throwing mud and water on itself just like we would put sunscreen on. Different types of mud (and how dry it is) give different colors.

Cars had to move out of the way for this elephant to cross.

        After Addo, we drove about 45 minutes over to Schotia, a privately owned game reserve with every major African animal roaming its plains, including lions that actively feed on the other game in the park. You could see the remains of the eaten animals throughout the park. We drove out into the reserve in mid-afternoon and saw some of the animals native to South Africa and Africa overall including impalas, wildebeest, kudus, white rhinos, warthogs, zebra, monkeys, giraffes, and lions...to mention a few. I even licked a termite mound our guide had kicked open, just for the sake of the girls wanting to take a video of it. I never got some of the termites out of my mouth until dinner that night. We drove around looking at animals and taking turns riding on the front jumpseat of the "landy" as the sun began to set over the reserve. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life.

African sunset at Schotia.

       

Front seat of the landy.

          I felt like Disney's The Lion King had manifested into reality. Our guide took us to the thatched roof open-air hut that hosted our group dinner: sweet potatoes, ostrich, rice, chicken and green beans. At dinner, we got to know our driver Carl from Port Elizabeth. He went to school and studied game management and has been working at Schotia for six years now. We asked if he hunted and we ended up talking about guns. This was to the girls disappointment and irritation since they were practically drooling over him the entire time. As soon as he and I began to talk, they lost their opportunity to talk and find common ground with him. It was pretty hilarious. He surprised me when he started talking about US politics, Obama's time in office, and gun control. He knew a lot about it and he really surprised me. We compared and contrasted gun control and regulation in South Africa and in the US which was very interesting. He invited me and any of the other guys to come up and shoot his elephant guns at a range close by Schotia. We'll see if it actually happens, but it would be awesome. We ended the night driving through the game park in the pitch dark with spotlights and floodlights that were mounted all around the landy. It kind of felt like Jurassic Park almost, and the animals were much more intimidating in the dark especially after knowing that lions do the majority of their hunting during the night.

Schotia Pictures (the rest are on Facebook):

A young male lion resting with the females (bottom right and corner) with the Schotia game reserve in the background.

Common zebra.

Kudu (pronounced ka-doo)

One of the several giraffes we saw in the park.
We saw the remains of several from the lions feeding.

Female lions with their cubs.

 

White rhino.

Front to back: Wildebeest, warthog, zebras, and impalas with a landy in the distance observing the lions.

Involvment @NMMU

Basketball Club

        On Saturday when we got back, we went to involvement at NMMU. The guys and I looked for basketball, and signed up for the club team. We were all going to play on the club team but it turns out that practices games don't really line up well with our school and weekend schedules. We played several pickup games with the club and my team (Dummer, Bobby, 'Coach' and I) actually placed third in their tournament. At the end of the tournament, the president talked about the clubs mission statment: "to spread the awareness of basketball to NMMU, Port Elizabeth, and South Africa." Basketball is not very big here and it was good to get out and play.

I've got plenty more to talk about for next post, including two more weekends where we went to Jeffrey's Bay and the Hogsback Mountains. Be looking for them!

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Until then,
Isaak